The Baylor team that was the preseason pick to finish second in the Big 12 looked like a powerhouse in the NIT championship game Thursday night at the Garden, dismantling Iowa, 74-54.

If Baylor had played like that more often during an underachieving regular season, it would have been in the NCAA Tournament. The sixth-place Big 12 finish landed the Bears in the NIT, but they made the most of the opportunity by winning the first NIT title in school history.

"I'm just extremely proud of my team," senior point guard Pierre Jackson said. "The way we played tonight, it was domination."

Baylor's athleticism wore on the Hawkeyes until they were completely overwhelmed. Jackson and forward Cory Jefferson totaled all 14 points during a 14-4 run that gave Baylor a 42-31 lead. The Bears (23-14) shot 65.2 percent in the second half and led by double figures the rest of the way.

Jackson earned the most outstanding player award with his fourth straight double-double (17 points, 10 assists). Many of those assists went to Jefferson, whose 23 points included six dunks.

Isaiah Austin finished his first -- and quite possibly only -- season at Baylor in style. The 7-1 freshman had 15 points, nine rebounds, five blocks and four assists, showing why he could be a lottery pick in this year's NBA draft.

"His performances the last two games were how he played earlier [in the season]," Drew said. "Obviously, we wouldn't win without him. He was tremendous."

Iowa (25-13) shot 26.1 percent and leading scorer Roy Devyn Marble was limited to six points and 3-for-12 shooting. Marble averaged 24.3 points in Iowa's previous four NIT games -- including 28 in a 75-63 victory over Stony Brook in the second round -- but the junior swingman was shut down by A.J. Walton, who recorded six steals.

"It started with A.J. on the ball on defense, just locking down whoever he was guarding," Jefferson said. "That energized everybody and got us playing defense that much harder."

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